Conventional intercom systems in a drive-thru lane facilitating two-way voice communications between customers and order takers at a speaker post or menu board are known. These systems typically employ a microphone for recognizing customer's voice and a speaker at the same location to facilitate the two-way voice communication. These systems typically require the customer to stop at an order location and speak with the order taker to place an order. In these systems, the individual customer orders are assembled in the same sequence the orders are made at the point of an order in a first come first served fashion.
Online ordering systems are known. In those systems, a customer typically makes an order using a web page and picks up the ordered merchandise in a physical retail store with proper identification. For example, the customer will announce to a clerk in a store upon his arrival that he has ordered merchandise online. Such online ordering system essentially provides computer connection to a point-of-sale (POS) system and the orders are typically received in a sequence that is not necessarily the same as the sequence of arrival of the customers at the store.